Helping others isn't a chore; it is one of the greatest gifts there is.
I don't listen to people who say my dreams are impossible; I just work to prove them wrong.
If nothing else, I want women to understand that they are powerful. If you look back at history, in almost every big moment, in every leap forward, you find ordinary women at the core. We have more ability to make changes in the world than we can imagine if we have the courage to try.
If you don't have a dream in life, I don't know what you have. You have to want something beyond your reach; it's exciting when it works out.
The most inspiring piece of advice I've gotten is simply to persevere. My mom taught me to always keep going no matter what from an early age. When it feels too difficult to push forward, I always remind myself, 'This too shall pass,' and then I redouble my efforts.
In a hundred years, how do you want the world to be? Everybody should get together to make the world a better place.
The desert loves me. I love the desert. It's nice to be in the heat in Africa. I love it.
Investing in women's lives is an investment in sustainable development, in human rights, in future generations - and consequently in our own long-term national interests.
The best lesson that I've learned from my mother is that she just never accepted no for an answer and I think that's something that has stayed with me.
It's one thing to donate money. It's a whole other thing to give an opportunity for someone to make his own money.
Helping others isn't a chore, it is one of the greatest gifts there is. I want to challenge the next generation of women to find a way to give back that inspires and fulfills them and weave it into their daily lives. If the next generation can learn that early on, we have a real chance to change the world.
There's a saying in Africa: To find out you are pregnant is to have one foot in the grave.
I think you should really research your cause, see if there are other people who are already doing the same thing you're doing and try to join forces because I really feel like collaborating is really important and very efficient. More is more, you know?
I'm a mom. I'm from Ethiopia. I gave birth in the U.S. and had all the proper care available to me. If I had given birth in Ethiopia - I don't know if I might have even survived it.
One thing modeling taught me is that the spotlight can change everything.
Prenatal care is one of the most effective ways to reduce maternal mortality because it identifies complications or high risks before emergency situations.
We should work to guarantee that there is a midwife or health worker by every woman's side during childbirth.
Every day we hear about the dangers of cancer, heart disease and AIDS. But how many of us realize that, in much of the world, the act of giving life to a child is still the biggest killer of women of child-bearing age?
When our mothers are alive and healthy, they do extraordinary things... like the mothers of Plaza de Mayo, who marched in Argentinean plazas, defying the military junta dictatorship and demanding the whereabouts of their abducted children... or the Liberian mothers who faced down civil war armed only with T-shirts and courage.
For my diet, I choose mostly organic. But in general, I am a big believer in trying to strike a balance with everything.
It's always a tricky thing, trying to make aid sustainable.
Creative new health strategies like micro-insurance for poor people or Kangaroo care for pre-term babies are transforming health outcomes in even the most low-resource settings. Dedication and innovation are transforming health care worldwide.
Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in when complications arise.
A small gold plain cross was passed down from my grandma to my mom, then to me, and now to my daughter. It is always nice to own something that connects you to the women who made it possible for you to exist.
I'm Christian. Growing up in Ethiopia, it's half-Christian and half-Muslim. You grow up with Muslim kids. I'm very much aware of their religion.
